FAIRFAX, Va. – The La Salle University men's soccer team picked up a crucial three points in the Atlantic 10 standings with a 2-0 shutout win at conference foe George Mason Wednesday night. Sophomores Sam DeCencio and Omari Cotterell tallied the goals for the Explorers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Salle outshot George Mason 7-5 in the opening half and freshman goalkeeper Carlos Mora only needed to make one save as it looked like the game was heading to halftime scoreless.
• But DeCencio struck inside the box in the 38th minute for his second goal of the year on assists from senior Pat McCarthy and freshman Franc Gamiz Quer for a 1-0 lead just before the break.
• La Salle nearly pushed the advantage to 2-0 in the 61st minute, but an Explorer goal was called off due to offsides. Still, the defense held its own to keep the Patriots quiet.
• Cotterell then sealed the win with his second goal of the year in the 86th minute on a feed from sophomore Tarin Morris for the two-goal advantage.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• With the win, La Salle moves into a four-way tie for sixth place in the A-10 standings with nine points.
• Mora matched his season high with five saves while recording his second shutout. The rookie improved his record in goal to 3-1-1.
• La Salle now stands at 7-7-1 and 3-3-0 in the A-10, already four more overall wins and three more league wins than a season ago.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers have two regular season games remaining against Massachusetts (1-5 A-10) and St. Bonaventure (1-6 A-10). Next up for La Salle is UMass for Senior Day on Saturday at McCarthy Stadium. La Salle's four seniors will be honored prior to 7 p.m. kick-off.